Powder Question

[p5200]

I have some 40 grain Hornady V-Max on order for my Remington 700 vtr in .204. I have some Varget I've been using with my .223 loads with good success. My Lyman book lists Varget, H-335, and IMR 4895 I have Varget, H-322, H-4895 and RL 15 Locally. I'm mainly interested in accuracy over velocity for target use and also, get the most barrel life. I haven't even shot the rifle yet but, would appreciate some advice from more experienced hand loaders than I which, I haven't been at it long on whether I should go ahead and try some Varget since I already about a half pound left or, would one of the other powders listed be a better choice for this caliber? I know the Varget is pretty temperature stable but as I say I will be shooting for groups mostly. I realize each gun is different and just looking for the powder that that gives the best accuracy (in general). Also, I've read a lot of people have good luck with the Berger 32 grain bullets but, would the higher velocities cause faster barrel wear? Although, I would use them if they generally, produce the tightest groups. Thanks for all advice.

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Powder Question

I only shoot 32 grn bullets in my 204 but I found Benchmark to be the most accurate in my Ruger #1.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: Powder Question

RL-10X does it for me. I routinely shoot under 1" @200 yards with 32-gr Noslers and a box stock Savage 12VL. But RL-10x does have a problem with temperature so when the temp crosses 80°, I carry my bullets in a lunch bucket with some blue ice packs.

I also hang out at the 204ruger.com forum and RL-10x seems to be the preferred powder there, too. Benchmark probably comes a close second.

I should note that I don't shoot the heavier bullet but quite a few shooters with factory twist barrels have difficulty stabilizing a 40-gr pill. The cure is the 39-gr SBK.